I've been trying to find the bright spots in this loss, and there were some but in the end nothing makes you feel better. However, one of the bright spots in this one was James Harrison's return.

Many thought that Harrison wouldn't be much of a factor tonight, that he was out of game shape and would take time to get back into the flow of the game. Well, he was single handedly getting pressure on Flacco from the outside. 3 Sacks, 1 FF, and 8 total Tackles tonight tells you the guy was ready to go tonight no matter what the odds. The Steelers needed him in a big way too with Lamarr Woodley and James Farrior both out for this game, and Jason Worilds having not seen any action in over a month.

Nearly every sack and pressure he got tonight was in the face of a double team or being chipped by Rice or Leach. He completely blew up Rice everytime he tried to block him and was able to get the corner on a regular basis by using his speed and quick cuts to get underneath the Raven's Tackles on both sides of the line. When he played in the middle he was able to shed off the double team blocks, literally rolling off and finding Rice coming right at him to make the stop.

steelersbabex25

11-07-2011, 01:03 AM

I was really weary of him coming back tonight and getting reinjured or having an off game or whatever, but Silverback was back in Silverback form tonight. I just wish Woodley was out there with him :crying:

MattyVfromCT

11-07-2011, 01:04 AM

I've been trying to find the bright spots in this loss, and there were some but in the end nothing makes you feel better. However, one of the bright spots in this one was James Harrison's return.

Many thought that Harrison wouldn't be much of a factor tonight, that he was out of game shape and would take time to get back into the flow of the game. Well, he was single handedly getting pressure on Flacco from the outside. 3 Sacks, 1 FF, and 8 total Tackles tonight tells you the guy comes to play even against double teams.

Nearly every sack and pressure he got tonight was in the face of a double team or being chipped by Rice or Leach. He completely blew up Rice everytime he tried to block him and was able to get the corner on a regular basis by using his speed and quick cuts to get underneath the Raven's Tackles on both sides of the line. When he played in the middle he was able to shed off the double team blocks, literally rolling off and finding Rice coming right at him to make the stop.

that's the one positive i saw. he was playing like a man possessed. 8 tackles, 3 for a loss, 3 sacks and a forced fumble. almost had a 4th sack on the superman leap over ray rice. when woodley comes back those 2 are going be ridiculous. and that duo is already the best olb duo anyways but the level they are playing at now? damn

steelersbabex25

11-07-2011, 01:09 AM

Just gotta hope that when Wood gets back he picks up where he left off.

Stairwayto7

11-07-2011, 01:18 AM

Ok Woodley picked it up with Harrison out. and harrison picked it up with Woodley out, now if they could just put thier games together]

UKSTEELER

11-07-2011, 05:19 AM

JH is the bomb, . . . and still our best OLB. lights out performance, shame no one else rose to the occasion!

JensK

11-07-2011, 07:34 AM

I laughed so loud when he made that hurdle play on Ray Rice where Rice just steps aside; No way was he going to even attempt to block that. I would have been furious had I been Flacco! :D

Rampage

11-07-2011, 11:23 AM

Harrison looked good. I'm really wondering if the eye injury could have been a good thing. We know that he wasn't overly happy with his strength and conditioning coming off of surgery, maybe some time to recuperate was good. He looked solid last night.

LatrobePA

11-07-2011, 11:24 AM

Harrison looked good. I'm really wondering if the eye injury could have been a good thing. We know that he wasn't overly happy with his strength and conditioning coming off of surgery, maybe some time to recuperate was good. He looked solid last night.

Agree, blessing of sorts I guess..

BlitzburghRockCity

11-08-2011, 12:06 AM

On a night in which the Steelers came within 8 seconds of vaulting atop the AFC power rankings, linebacker James Harrison proved once again that he's among the most-feared linebackers in the NFL.

Harrison, with scar tissue still visible near a mending right eye, played arguably his best game in two seasons. He tormented Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco by consistently collapsing the pocket.

He overpowered the left side of the Ravens' offensive line. He hurdled a blocking back and rushed through the backfield like a tornado, then swept up Flacco like loose debris.

"Whenever you have (Harrison) back in the lineup, it's going to give you a boost," safety Troy Polamalu said.

Harrison was practically unstoppable. His numbers were off the chart - three sacks, eight tackles (three for loss), eight quarterback hits and a forced fumble.
"That's the type of effort we expect from James, because he consistently delivers," coach Mike Tomlin said.

The Steelers appeared on their way to assuming control of the AFC North after Harrison jarred the ball loose from Flacco with 7:40 remaining. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger cashed in the turnover by zipping a 25-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace for a 20-16 lead with 5:08 to go.

The Ravens seemingly were facing an uphill climb with only 2:24 left. They were pinned down at their 8-yard line and without a clue how to keep Flacco clear of Harrison's ferocious charge.

Harrison didn't pace himself back into rhythm after missing the previous four games after having surgery to repair a fractured orbital bone near his right eye. Admittedly, he didn't have much left in his tank when Flacco orchestrated an improbable 13-play, 92-yard scoring drive capped by a 26-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith.

"I got winded quicker than I did before I got hurt," Harrison said. "I felt better than I did the first time we played them.

"The eye injury gave me more time to work on my back and heal up a little more. It wasn't too bad, but it is what it is."

Harrison insisted there were no added incentives that ignited his awe-inspiring effort. There was nothing to prove, especially to skeptics who suggest his battle-tested body is breaking down from nine years of heavy hits.

"My motivation is to win," he said in a near-empty locker room. "I don't care how long I've been out or how long I've been in — no matter who is it."

The Ravens finally sealed off every passage to Flacco on their final drive. They weren't going to let Harrison beat them, so they double-teamed and mixed up their blocking schemes to give Flacco the split second he needed to connect with Anquan Boldin on third- and fourth-down plays to keep the drive alive.

Then, on the game-winning touchdown pass, the oft-erratic Flacco stepped up in the pocket to deliver a pass that Smith cradled to give Baltimore a 23-20 victory.
"It's always tough to lose, especially when you're in the position we were in," Harrison said. "When it comes down to it, you have to come up with a play.

"We didn't get enough pressure. Maybe we weren't covering. They didn't really do anything differently. We just came up a play short."

From the Trib (http://www.steeleraddicts.com/forum/OLB%20Harrison%27s%20fury%20on%20display%20vs.%20R avens%20-%20Pittsburgh%20Tribune-Review%20http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_766122.html#ixzz1d5TEzDLJ)